Vrij(e)dag Friday! - Choco-fix in Leuven from Quetzal

Leuven, despite being a student town, is tiny compared to the bustling metropolises like those comprising the Flemish Triangle (Brussel - Antwerpen - Gent). Hence, looking for a good place for sweeties like chocolate, can be daunting. I've mentioned dewerf before as a good cheap place to get warme chocolade and other desserts, but I wonder--are there other places which offer a variety of chocoholic goodness?

So far, the only one I've spotted is right across the Faculty of Law at Tiensestraat - Quetzal.

This chocolate bar is rather on the small side, with its simple, streamlined interiors warm and inviting (the lines look vaguely Scandinavian, but with the hip Flemish twist of using bright colors).  The menu has a small but interesting selection of hot and cold chocolate drinks--I settled for a dark chocolate Mexicana, hoping perhaps that it would be my Flemish version of thick Azteca chocolate from Cafe Xocolat back in Manila.

They were prompt in serving my order, with a nice touch of adding a nicely decadent square of homemade brownie.

But the chocolate drink? My eyebrow rose a bit when I saw that they served their chocolates in paper to-go cups.  Ah, well.  Then I took a sip.

It was OK.  But I must have set my expectations higher than usual.  The drink, which had a lovely mix of cumin, nutmeg and other earthy spices, did not really match up to the Azteca from my memory.  Despite the dark chocolate, it was milky and liquid--drinkable, approachable like a friendly puppy--but without the rich, unctuous texture I was hoping for as an advanced chocoholic.

If you want to introduce friends to interesting blends of chocolate drinks, Quetzal is a good place to start choco-newbies.